GK-12 fellow Georgina Lillich working with students at the Hokulani Science Day (April 23,2003)

       The Center for Conservation Research & Training (CCRT) at the University of Hawaii has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Training Grant to provide Graduate Research Fellowships to students admitted into the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EECB) Graduate Program. The grant also provides fellowship opportunities for undergraduates who will be mentored by the graduate fellows. The GK-12 fellowship program sets up a learning partnership between graduate students and K-12 teachers. Fellows act as partners and mentors and incorporate their own research, emphasizing perspectives of evolutionary and conservation biology, into school curricula to assist in teaching standards-based biology. Fellows also have the support of an education and a science mentor, and spend time training with the University of Hawaii Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG) before they enter classrooms.

Interested? Download a teacher application to work with a GK-12 Graduate fellow

Graduate fellow Hector Perez teaching 2nd graders about seed propagation at the Hokulani Science Day (April 23, 2003)

        Training includes familiarization with National and State Content and Performance Standards, methods of inquiry-based teaching, developing safe and informative field activities, teaching to different learning styles, and bringing technology into the classroom. Fellows spend time observing and working with University of Hawaii Laboratory School classrooms, where they gain experience with standards-based, inquiry education with any grade level. Fellows have the support of an education mentor from the CRDG faculty and a science mentor from the EECB faculty.

View the Hawaii State Content and Performance Standard that the GK-12 program complies with

         The GK-12 fellows work with EECB and CRDG faculty, and Hawaii State Department of Education professionals to develop their own teaching projects and school partnerships. Fellows also teach at summer workshops, organize forums for the interested public, and present results from GK-12 collaborations at academic and scientific meetings. This web site serves as a resource for science teachers who want to draw from the experience and expertise of the fellows in their research areas, and for science professionals who want to share their time and knowledge with the K-12 community.
Inquiries regarding the GK-12 Fellowship program can be directed to Dr. Ken Kaneshiro, Director of CCRT (phone 808-956-6739, email kykanesh@hawaii.edu ); Dr. Robert Kinzie, Chair of EECB (email kinzie@hawaii.edu ); or send email request to Rena Duhl (email duhl@hawaii.edu) for information packet about the EECB Graduate Program.
If you are interested in learning more about the education component of the GK-12 Fellowship Program, or if your school is interested in working with a GK-12 fellow, see the menu above, or contact Dr. Erin Baumgartner (phone 808-956-4439, email erinbaum@hawaii.edu).

Quick Link for Graduate Fellows to Database (GK-12 Database)

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